Hi folks,

I was looking at some of the spiffy shells I picked up with the Cordys in
Eleuthera last week and some questions sprang to mind.

This one particular xenophora I was admiring, I collected live on the back
side of the glass window bridge. Eleuthera is a long stringbean of an island
and this is its thinnest point. The bridge, in particular, takes a beating in
storms and has washed out more than once during hurricanes. The area under
and around the bridge is filled with rock and rubble from washouts.

This one xeno has no shell attachments. It was a rock collector, my first
carrier with this predilection. I was holding it, enjoying its satisfying
heft and wondering if its rocks were from Hurricane Floyd rubble.

This got me to thinking and raised many questions. How long do xenophora
live, as a general rule? At what age are they what size? How often do they
add to their collection of attachments? Are there regular intervals or is the
growth and attachment process affected by things like water temp, day length
or food supply?

Thanks, in advance, for all info and replies,
Ellen

who has reverted to veliger stage, checking in on a friend's computer.